1892-06-13 Johannesburg, South African Republic
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967), was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films. He frequently portrayed suave villains or morally ambiguous characters, such as Murdstone in David Copperfield (1935) and Sir Guy of Gisbourne in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). His most famous role, however, was heroic—that of Sherlock Holmes in fourteen Hollywood films made between 1939 and 1946 and in a radio series. His later career included Broadway and television work; he received a Tony Award in 1948 as Best Actor in a Play.
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The Adventures of Errol Flynn | Self / Various Roles (archive sound) (archive footage) | 2005-04-05 |
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In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes | 1996-07-01 | |
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Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook | Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (archive footage) | 1991-01-01 |
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The Great Mouse Detective | Sherlock Holmes (voice) | 1986-07-02 |
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The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes | Sherlock Holmes (archive footage) | 1985-01-01 |
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The Horror of It All | Carmichael (archive footage) | 1983-02-23 |
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The Horror Show | (archive footage) | 1979-02-06 |
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Madhouse | Basil (archive footage) | 1974-05-22 |
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Autopsia de un fantasma | Canuto Pérez | 1968-11-07 |
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The Movie Orgy | Self (archival footage) | 1968-01-01 |
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Hillbillys in a Haunted House | Gregor | 1967-05-01 |
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Soldier in Love | Duke of York | 1967-04-26 |
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Queen of Blood | Dr. Farraday | 1966-03-01 |
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The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini | Reginald Ripper | 1966-04-06 |
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Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet | Prof. Hartman, Lunar 7 | 1965-08-01 |
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The Comedy of Terrors | John F. Black | 1964-01-22 |
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Tales of Terror | Carmichael ("The Case of M. Valdemar") | 1962-07-04 |
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Two Before Zero | 1962-10-31 | |
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The Magic Sword | Lodac | 1962-04-01 |
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Ponzio Pilato | Caiaphas | 1962-02-15 |
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Victoria Regina | Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield) | 1961-11-30 |
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The Black Cat | 1960-01-01 | |
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A Christmas Carol | Scrooge | 1959-12-27 |
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Aladdin | Emperor | 1958-02-21 |
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The Last Hurrah | Norman Cass Sr. | 1958-12-31 |
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Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates | Dr. Boekman | 1958-02-09 |
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The Lark | Chief Inquisitor | 1957-02-10 |
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Affair in Sumatra | Paul Charters | 1956-02-22 |
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The Black Sleep | Sir Joel Cadman | 1956-06-15 |
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The Stingiest Man in Town | Ebenezer Scrooge | 1956-12-23 |
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The Court Jester | Sir Ravenhurst | 1955-12-24 |
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We're No Angels | Andre Trochard | 1955-07-07 |
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Casanova's Big Night | Lucio / Narrator | 1954-04-07 |
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The General's Boots | General Lee | 1954-07-23 |
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A Christmas Carol | Marley's Ghost | 1954-12-01 |
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The Wind in the Willows | Narrator (voice) | 1949-05-10 |
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The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Narrator (segment "The Wind in the Willows") | 1949-10-05 |
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Heartbeat | Professor Aristide | 1946-05-01 |
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Terror by Night | Sherlock Holmes | 1946-02-01 |
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Dressed to Kill | Sherlock Holmes | 1946-05-24 |
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The Woman in Green | Sherlock Holmes | 1945-06-15 |
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The House of Fear | Sherlock Holmes | 1945-03-16 |
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Pursuit to Algiers | Sherlock Holmes | 1945-10-26 |
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Bathing Beauty | George Adams | 1944-06-27 |
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The Scarlet Claw | Sherlock Holmes | 1944-05-18 |
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The Pearl of Death | Sherlock Holmes | 1944-08-01 |
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Frenchman's Creek | Lord Rockingham | 1944-09-20 |
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The Spider Woman | Sherlock Holmes | 1943-12-24 |
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Sherlock Holmes Faces Death | Sherlock Holmes | 1943-09-17 |
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Above Suspicion | Sig von Aschenhausen | 1943-05-31 |
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Crazy House | Sherlock Holmes | 1943-10-08 |
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Sherlock Holmes in Washington | Sherlock Holmes | 1943-03-24 |
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Fingers at the Window | Cesar Ferrari / Dr. H. Santelle | 1942-04-22 |
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Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon | Sherlock Holmes | 1942-12-25 |
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Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror | Sherlock Holmes | 1942-09-18 |
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Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6 | Himself | 1942-10-05 |
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Crossroads | Henri Sarrou | 1942-07-23 |
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International Lady | Reggie Oliver | 1941-10-16 |
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Paris Calling | Andre Benoit | 1941-12-04 |
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The Black Cat | Montague Hartley | 1941-05-02 |
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Rhythm on the River | Oliver Courtney | 1940-08-28 |
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The Mark of Zorro | Captain Esteban Pasquale | 1940-11-08 |
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The Mad Doctor | Dr. George Sebastian / Dr. Langamann | 1940-12-20 |
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The Sun Never Sets | Clive Randolph | 1939-05-31 |
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Sherlock Holmes | 1939-09-01 |
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Tower of London | Richard - Duke of Gloucester | 1939-11-17 |
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Son of Frankenstein | Baron Wolf von Frankenstein | 1939-01-13 |
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Rio | Paul Reynard | 1939-09-29 |
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The Hound of the Baskervilles | Sherlock Holmes | 1939-03-24 |
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Breakdowns of 1938 | Basil (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1938-12-31 |
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The Dawn Patrol | Maj. Brand | 1938-12-24 |
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If I Were King | Louis XI | 1938-09-28 |
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The Adventures of Marco Polo | Ahmed | 1938-04-07 |
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The Adventures of Robin Hood | Sir Guy of Gisbourne | 1938-05-13 |
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Confession | Michael Michailow | 1937-08-19 |
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Tovarich | Commissar Dimitri Gorotchenko | 1937-12-25 |
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Love from a Stranger | Gerald Lovell | 1937-04-18 |
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Make a Wish | Johnny Selden | 1937-09-01 |
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Romeo and Juliet | Tybalt | 1936-09-03 |
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The Garden of Allah | Count Ferdinand Anteoni | 1936-10-14 |
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Private Number | Thomas Wroxton | 1936-06-05 |
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Captain Blood | Levasseur | 1935-12-26 |
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The Last Days of Pompeii | Pontius Pilate | 1935-10-18 |
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Anna Karenina | Alexei Alexandrovitch Karenin | 1935-08-30 |
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Kind Lady | Henry Abbott | 1935-12-06 |
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A Feather in Her Hat | Captain Randolph Courtney | 1935-10-25 |
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A Tale of Two Cities | Marquis St. Evremonde | 1935-12-25 |
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The Personal History, Adventures, Experience, & Observation of David Copperfield the Younger | Mr. Edward Murdstone | 1935-01-18 |
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One Precious Year | Derek Nagel | 1933-02-01 |
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Loyalties | Ferdinand de Levis | 1933-07-02 |
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A Woman Commands | Capt. Alex Pastitsch | 1932-02-12 |
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After the Ball | Jack Harrowby | 1932-11-23 |
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The Flirting Widow | Col. Smith | 1930-05-11 |
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A Lady Surrenders | Carl Vandry | 1930-10-06 |
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This Mad World | Paul Parisot | 1930-04-11 |
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A Notorious Affair | Paul Gherardi | 1930-04-26 |
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Sin Takes a Holiday | Reginald Durant | 1930-11-10 |
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The Lady of Scandal | Edward | 1930-05-24 |
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The Last of Mrs. Cheyney | Lord Arthur Dilling | 1929-07-06 |
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The Bishop Murder Case | Philo Vance | 1929-12-31 |
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The Great Deception | Rizzio | 1926-07-26 |
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The Masked Bride | Antoine | 1925-12-13 |
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Trouping with Ellen | Tony Winterslip | 1924-10-05 |
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The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots | Undetermined Subordinate Role | 1924-02-04 |
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The School for Scandal | Joseph Surface | 1923-09-12 |
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Innocent | Amadis de Jocelyn | 1921-03-01 |
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The Fruitful Vine | Don Cesare Carelli | 1921-09-01 |